I met Charlieboy’s Creator and Designer Carol Stephenson at the Queer New York Fashion Week event and got to see many pieces in person, confirming their quality of craftsmanship. About her inspiration, Carol recently told me, “I am a huge fan of fashion in the 1920s as well as the military uniforms of the period. I also love the whole concept of functional fashion. I want to always offer functional details with CharlieBoy pieces, so my customer gets more than just a hot shirt.”

The envelope pocket found of several of the shirts is an especially cool detail, perfect for glasses, wallets, or iPhones.

Carol told me the detail was inspired by her ex-girlfriend, who was running late looking for her glasses, keys, and wallet. “I made her the first shirt with a glasses pocket as a gift a few years ago and she still wears it today. Initially, it wasn’t an envelope but it developed into that and people seem to love it. It is the perfect size for specs or shades.”

How should one dress for Charlieboy? Carol told me, “The one thing I hope for CharlieBoy is that my customers wear our pieces and make them their own. They are designed to be worn casually or dressed up. I often wear one of our shirts with an old pair of jeans and flip flops (note: I am an Aussie) and I also do the ‘dapper’ thing on occasion with trousers, a blazer, and my black/white brogues. I like to dress pretty feminine at times too so I will also wear a shirt out with booty shorts and heels. I loved seeing my models at the Fashion Week event as they all looked so different.”

As Qwear's Founding Editor, Sonny’s work centers around envisioning a future in which the clothing people wear does not dictate their chances of survival. Sonny was awarded 2015 dapperQ of the Year and was the first trans blogger to be sponsored by Topman. In March 2016, Sonny spoke at South by South West's first official queer fashion panel.